P.B.A. president ‘appalled and disgusted’ by Hoboken mayor’s response
Aug 26, 2010 | 10179 views | 8 8 comments | 52 52 recommendations | email to a friend | print

HOBOKEN -- Yesterday, the NAACP-Hoboken Branch called for Mayor Dawn Zimmer to reconsider Hoboken’s controversial layoff plan, which will cut 18 city employees, 18 police officers, and demote 19 senior police officers to save $2.5 million from city spending.

Zimmer responded on NJ.com by saying her administration is working on a redeployment plan to ensure that the number of officers on the street will not be cut.

Thursday morning, P.B.A. President Vince Lombardi released a statement criticizing the mayor’s credibility on public safety cuts.

Lombardi’s statement below:

“Yesterday Mayor Zimmer issued another statement claiming that she is ‘working to finalize a redeployment plan to ensure that there is no reduction in the number of officers patrolling our streets’ regarding her plan to slash 37 jobs from the Hoboken Police Department. I was appalled and disgusted to read this.

The Mayor’s plan will have a devastating impact on the City of Hoboken. For her to claim that she can cut 37 police jobs and have no impact on manpower and presence is an outrageous statement and an outright lie. You cannot fire 18 police officers and demote 19 others without jeopardizing the safety of the people of Hoboken and dramatically decreasing the department’s capabilities.

The Mayor’s plan is ridiculous in light of the city’s recently discovered $20 million budget surplus. She has less credibility talking about the public’s safety in Hoboken than George W. Bush had in talking about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Mayor Zimmer is now ‘inviting the police unions to join and have a voice in these discussions’ in a meeting at her office on Monday. We have no intention of cooperating with this obvious media publicity stunt. We will not allow our membership to be abused in this egregious manner. Any further discussion of the city’s layoff plan is absurd and we will not be a part of this nonsense.

We again call upon Mayor Zimmer and the city council to rescind their layoff plan and stop playing politics with the safety of the City of Hoboken.”


Who do you think is right in this debate?


Comments
(8)
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down-south
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December 07, 2010
unfortunately, compromise is the filter of all evil here. as an outsider (hoboken native), i haven't heard one person from either side come up with a solution to the city's debt. ms. mayor, would it be the end of the world for you to suggest a financial freeze for the next two years on all civil employees (including yourself). impacting a few, seems like a sentence; effecting the masses, is all but a after thought. and for the union reps., go find your hearts (at oz, lol)
@nniebumps
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September 09, 2010
My son is a Hoboken Police Officer, has wanted to be a Police Officer all his life. The comment posted by hobokencares confirms that it was submitted by a COMPLETE IDIOT. The sad thing is, if you ever do need help from a Police Officer, my son would be one of the "Mayberry" cops who would risk his life for an IDIOT like you!
mikecostello24
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September 07, 2010
To Hobokencares,

It's obvious that you are a cop hating illiterate.

Illiterate-Lacking knowledge or education (in your case both).
hobokencares
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September 02, 2010
Most of these hoboken cops think they are above the law !! Everyone is feeling the Pain, Suck it up and just deal with like everyone else in the world.. Find another job.. work at stevens , security. lol.. who cares ... everyone in the world has either lost their job or looking.. Just get in line.. Hoboken is only one Mile square , how many cops do you need in mayberry..lol...
mikecostello24
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August 28, 2010
If you devastate the lives of 37 Police Officers and thier families and don't think Police services will be effected, you are sadly mistaken.

The Mayor, City Council and residents are sending a message to THEIR Police Officers(even the ones that are not directly effected)that they do not care! When demotions and layoffs take place, moral is effected. When moral is effected services are effected. When services are effected public safety becomes an issue. As a retired Police Sergeant Ispeak with over 30 years police experience.

Smartyjones
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August 28, 2010
The Reporter has a problem with their poll. Unfortunately it doesn't prevent folks from repeated voting. Based on the jump in the number of views in the story from just a few hundred yesterday to this morning, one can safely assume, Paul Swibinski is on the job.

Is Fin Boy in Weehawken able to click his mouse that fast? If he's being paid per mouse click, perhaps he is and that's impressive.

More than 3,000 views (and votes) over night.

Count me impressed.

http://hobokenhorse.blogspot.com

- for the Thursday story on Paul Swibinksi hired to work on behalf of the Hoboken PBA.

ReformerusG
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August 28, 2010
No doubt that some kind of operation was out over night. At one point with hundreds of votes into the poll, the Mayor held a sizable lead. But then....

Has this poll been "Swibinskied"? (You heard it from me first) In any event kudos to the Hudson Reporter Editorial staff for this gimmick to get a big bump up in traffic. Now only if they get get a manic blogger to yell in front of them at a city official they might really get a huge spike in traffic. :)
WESTY
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August 27, 2010
Brice Roman on his Mile Square View blog is reporting that the Vince Lombardi the Union President of the Hoboken Police Department has hired Paul Swibinski and his Vision Media,Inc. a very well known political consultant and spin doctor(Roberts.Cammarano.Mason) to spear head a public relations campaign for the Union's cause.

Judging by the sudden increase in HR poll numbers they have their people working the poll.